2024 Metal Construction News Hall of Fame – Friend of the Industry
After acquiring a degree in architecture from the Rhode Island School of Design, and an MBA with honors from Bryant University, Frank Stasiowski went on to found PSMJ Resources in 1974, which publishes Professional Services Management Journal. As chairman and CEO, Stasiowski has been at the helm of the global authority on improving the business management of AEC firms, annually providing trainers and consultants to more than 33,000 companies. Further, he has authored hundreds of articles and numerous bestsellers pertaining to effective management of AEC organizations, in addition to being an acclaimed international keynote speaker. Stasiowski has simple, yet wise insight pertaining to efficient leadership. “Lead from the rear, never from the front,” he says. “It’s really hard advice for 20-year-olds to learn, but building a team of people that are smarter than you is probably the best advice I could ever share with any group of younger people.”
In 1991, Stasiowski launched METALCON, the premiere global event for metal applications in the design and metal construction industry. Produced by PSMJ in collaboration with the Metal Construction Association (MCA), the annual event showcases products, solutions, and technologies, in addition to providing networking, training, and educational opportunities to industry professionals for more than three decades. Moreover, Stasiowski and the METALCON team operate METALCON Online, a portal providing educational resources throughout the year. Ultimately, METALCON has become an invaluable opportunity to gather and network for thousands of industry professionals on an annual basis.
Over the course of his career, his influence on the metal construction and design industry has been extensive. He serves on the boards of several architecture and engineering organizations, as well as being a personal advisor to CEOs in the industry. “Frank’s visionary yet pragmatic leadership, accomplishments, and contributions to society have placed him in a category all by himself,” says Dusty Rood, president and CEO, Rodgers Consulting, Germantown, Md. “He is a legend who has moved individuals, organizations, and industries to be better than they even realized was possible; he certainly did that for me and my organization.”
Stasiowski is also renowned as a keynote speaker, delivering engaging and forward-thinking insight into the nature and future of the AEC industry. “My whole life, I’ve preached to the AEC industry the importance of both promoting and selling based on value, not based on time,” says Stasiowski. “Yet, thousands of companies still price things based on the cost of what they do instead of the value to the buyer. With quantum computing crushing the amount of time it will take to produce and manufacture everything in life, only those who both understand and sell this concept will survive. Start today by pricing based on deliverables, and schedule performance not on labor expended.”
Philanthropic work and community service are of great importance to Stasiowski, leveraging his success and influence to make the world a better place. He is especially keen to find solutions to problems encountered in urban environments worldwide. Over the years, Stasiowski and his team have pledged resources to several non-profit endeavors. One specific philanthropic effort, which is a source of pride, is the Gulf Coast Rebuilding Fund—a charitable fund he and his wife, Joan, established in the disastrous aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Ultimately, the Gulf Coast Rebuilding Fund raised tens of thousands of dollars toward the reconstruction efforts in the devasted Gulf Coast region.
Overall, Stasiowski believes the future success of the design and metal construction industry rests in its ability to evolve with the times. “The speed of change will be crushed by technology, with new companies and new ways to do old things requiring a culture of constant change to be the most successful in any business,” he says. “You will need to have a flexible workforce, flexible working arrangements with people, and access to talent swiftly to prosper in the future.”
